Welcome to the Black Eight Newsletter
- Planning Decision postponed from 24th September to 29th November
The planning authority has agreed to extend the time required for the determination of the planning application, until 29th November. This was requested by Emily Estate who “are considering the responses of consultees in relation to this planning application, with a view to making some amendments in due course”
Their email was sent shortly after the Black 8 files explaining our opposition to the plans is published on the Somerset Planning website on 11th September.
So, perhaps, at the very least, Emily Estate have realised that the opposition to this not only numerous and vociferous, but well-informed and knowledgeable, too.
- More opposing voices needed
With the deadline extended, we have the chance to register more objections on the planning portal. While many excellent points have been raised there are still some that need to be made clear to the planners. These are:
- Financial Viability
- Emily Estate is required in planning regulation to provide an outline of the financial viability of the farm and how it fits into its agricultural business model in order to justify a large new farm outside of its current facilities. It has not done this and this needs to be highlighted.
- No extra employment created
- Any argument by Emily Estate that this farm is going to provide extra employment needs to be refuted. It will not.
- Hedgerows and visual impact
- There is a contradiction in their proposals that a new farm will maintain hedgerows in line with normal farming practice, but in other documents they say that hedgerows will be allowed to grow (along The Monarch’s Way, for example) in order to reduce the visibility of the farm buildings. They cannot have it both ways. Of note is that the latter will also significantly reduce visibility of the cherished views of the Yarlington Sleights from the adjacent historic footpaths.
If you have already registered your opposition on the Somerset Planning Website, please encourage family members and friends in the area to put their opposition in too. We need to keep this a ‘live’ debate and something Somerset Planners (and Emily Estate) know will not just quietly fade away.
- CPRE (Somerset) Report
The CPRE (Council for the Preservation of Rural England) have published a letter detailing their objections to the planning. Much of it is based on the Agricultural Report. In addition, it highlights the contradictions in Emily Estate’s reasoning of what constitutes a rural landscape and setting. It is a reminder of what we are fighting for in this case regarding Emily Estate’s plans for farms in the area. You can go to the planning website to view it here.
- LVIA reports – analysis
For our part, we have been consulting with experts regarding the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) that Emily Estate have used to support the proposal. After reading the reports and making a site visit our experts have identified several areas in which Emily Estate’s LVIA lacks thoroughness or credibility. We intend bringing these points forward in due course.
- Monarch’s Way Association
We recently met with John Tennant, the chairman of the Monarch’s Way Association. We walked with him along the Hick’s Lane stretch of the Monarch’s Way and around the Black Eight site (along the public footpaths). He expressed alarm at the proposals which would, in his opinion, be severely detrimental to the views from this ancient historic path.
- Fundraising
With the continued commissioning of expert reports, we still need funds. All donations gratefully received, for the good of the community. Please go to the website for details.
From all of us at Black Eight
